Jared and I are trying to complete 50 states under 50 years old. We recently went to Maui and almost didn't come back! Costco has some great travel deals and we ended up booking our hotel through them!
Stay
Ka'anapali Beach Resort.
Located on the West side of the island close to downtown La'haina. While it wasn't central, it was beautiful and less crowded than other parts! Our resort offered free classes, cabanas, and our favorite the Tiki Bar. The low key vibe was perfect for our trip. We also loved walking along the beach at night!
Places to Eat
Honu: The yummiest mac and cheese! Everything on this menu is so good.
Grandma's: great for breakfast and their Acai bowl is huge!
Maui Brewing: Local beers and tasty food
Frida's Beach House: We did this upscale Mexican spot for our final evening
Teddy's Bigger Burger: Delicious burgers with Maui flare
Breakwall (Shave Ice): Located in Old La'haina
Paia Bay Coffee and Bar: We stopped in before heading to the airport. Their breakfast is so good!
Olowalu Juice Stand-Pineapple Drinks!
Road to Hana: Must See
We did the Road to Hana in reverse. I would recommend this so you can experience most of it without the crowds. We woke up early to start for this reason too. The back half of road to Hana, where we started, is pretty rural so I would recommend upgrading your rental to a four-wheel drive vehicle.
Bamboo Forest
Hamoa Beach
Hana Food Trucks
Black Sand Beach at Waianapanapa State Park
Hana Farms
Roadside Waterfalls
Honomaunu Bay (the sea turtles beach here at night and you can see them come to shore!)
Paia Surf Boards
Activities
When of our favorite parts of our trip was our Redline Rafting Snorkeling trip! One of the more intimate tours on the island and was so much fun! The crew was super knowledgable and gave a great tour. Plus, we weren't overcrowded in the spots they took us too and really got to enjoy meeting the other people on our tour.
IAO Valley: Hike and history. An easy paved hike will lead you to a look out over IAO valley, but there is also a trail called secret hike. Download the AllTrails app for the path. This is where the battle of maui happened.
The Feast at LeLe- This was the Luau we choose. Instead of a buffet you have a five course dinner inspired by the cultures that make up Maui.
Grand Wailea: A beautiful resort for a drink and explore the grounds. It was a little overcrowded as far as guests go, but gorgeous non the less!
Maui Wine: A lot of people do this after road to Hana, but since we started so early we just went back before doing sunset at Mt. Haleakala. So peaceful and they of course have pineapple infused wine! Also, rich in history as the King of Hawaii used to frequent here!
We enjoyed the sunset at Mt. Haleakala and it is cool to be above the clouds, but it is freezing! So come prepared with blankets and winter clothes even in the dead of summer.
